With You
by veramoray
Summary: Diana takes Akko horse riding one morning, and Akko struggles emotionally. She also can not seem to keep her mouth shut for any reason.


Akko's legs were _killing _her. Why she had ever agreed to come horse riding with Diana this early in the morning, she had no idea. Akko failed to smother yet another groan of exhaustion as they came upon a hill. She felt a cool droplet of sweat cascade down the middle of her back.

Diana's horse whinnied, and she grinned as she patted her horse on the neck, quiet contentment softening her features. _Well, _Akko thought as she felt herself beginning to smile, _I guess have a bit of an idea why._

As they crested the hill that looked out over the Cavendish estate, the early morning sun shone softly, light reflecting tenderly off of Diana's hair. She shimmered in the same way she had roughly five years back when they were suspended in the black and the stars, enveloped in fiery tendrils of magic as they launched the Shiny Arc into the oncoming path of a mighty missile.

Akko felt magic that night like she never had before; not even Shiny Chariot's performances could amount to the wonder she had felt beside Diana on that broom, infinity stretching out on either side of them, lost in the quiet and serenity of space and the pure, unadulterated magic pouring from their fingertips. Akko's heart beat faster as she remembered.

Phillip—Diana's horse—sneezed just then, pulling Akko from her reverie. Diana rubbed his neck gently, mumbling a quiet "Bless you" before returning her attention to the view, the metal bits of her reins tinkling softly as she relaxed her arms and leaned back in the saddle. Her hair glittered in the sunlight again, the rising sun shrouding them in a fuzzy orange glow, and Akko had to avert her gaze as she felt her heart lodge itself in her throat once again. The words she had been aching to speak for weeks threatened to burst forth, but Akko remembered she had a plan, and there would be a time for that later. Sighing, she gazed out at the rolling hills below them, green with tall grasses and dotted charmingly with daisies and blue and violet wildflowers.

The Cavendish manor really was marvelous, Akko thought as she spotted it in the distance, with its cream-colored pillars and immaculate stone work, the very well-kept gardens lush and green in the mild heat of mid-spring. A time ago, she would never have even begun to envision herself here in a place such as this.

"Akko?" Diana asked, turning toward her with a slightly furrowed brow, "Is everything alright?"

"Huh?" Akko shook her head, releasing herself from her thoughts. Her cheeks turned slightly pink at having been caught. "Yeah, Diana, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You sighed, and have been rather quiet this morning. I figured something might have been weighing on your mind," she nudged Phillip closer to Akko's horse, which was one of the calmer mares they had in the stables. She figured Laula would be better for her to start out with since Akko was not as accustomed to horse riding as she was. "Is there something you wish to talk about?"

"Ah. Well, it's not—uhh…" Akko stumbled over her words. _Crap, _she thought, _How did she know? _

Diana chuckled, "Well, I wouldn't be a very good girlfriend if I couldn't tell when something was bothering you. And you aren't as transparent as you might think," she smiled warmly, the corners of her eyes crinkling softly. "You wear your heart very much on your sleeve."

_I said that out loud?! _Akko worried at her lip, fiddling with her reins, unsure of what to say and not trusting her own tongue. _It's not like I can just—like... out with it, you know? _

"I…" The full brunt of her emotions pressed down on her chest, and Akko suddenly felt as if she couldn't breathe. Words failed her, which wasn't a particularly new development necessarily, and the way Diana was looking at her was definitely not helping.

How dare Diana look so perfect all the time, and especially at this hour. They had been riding for nearly two hours and Akko's legs were aching with the continuous effort of keeping herself righted in her saddle for such an extended amount of time. She felt sweat trickling slowly down her back, and her shirt stuck to her awkwardly and made her feel squirmy—when Diana seemed to have barely even broken a sweat.

_Oh, wait, _she thought as she looked a bit closer.

Diana's brow glistened slightly with perspiration, a few flyaways sticking to her forehead in small clumps, and her cheeks were flushed pink from exertion.

_She still somehow manages to look elegant, though. _

It was then that Akko realized she had been staring, and hadn't said anything further than her awful attempt at words—she flushed crimson and jerked back into reality, accidentally pulling the reins with more force than she intended. Luckily, Laula was a more placid horse and didn't typically respond as fervently as the others, so Akko remained grounded. She let out a soft sigh of relief.

Diana's smile had since dropped, and she now observed her with evident concern. "Akko, are you sure you're alright?" She let go of the reins with one hand and placed it gently on Akko's knee. "We can head back if you're not feeling up to it. I know this sort of thing is a bit different for you, but it does get better with time. Perhaps we should have started off with a shorter route…" Diana trailed off, and it seemed like she had already begun to inwardly berate herself on poor planning and consideration.

"No, no—! I uh, it's not that, Diana!" Akko waved her hands erratically, careful to release the reins before she did so. "I like spending this time with you, doing something that you like. I'm a bit sore, yeah, but it doesn't bother me," she shrugged. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be, I promise." Akko flashed her girlfriend a genuine smile, and Diana blushed prettily as most of her concerns were hence tossed to the wind.

However, a soft crease of worry appeared again in-between Diana's eyebrows as she opened her mouth to question, "Then—"

"I-in fact," Akko blurted, rather loudly, and at a much higher pitch than normal, interrupting Diana before she could ask her again what it was that was bothering her. "I, um, I don't think…" she wet her lips, nervous. "I don't think there ever will be anywhere I'd rather be."

Diana tilted her head at her, confused. "Pardon?"

"I don't—um," Akko attempted to swallow the lump in her throat. _What. Are. You. Doing. We had a plan, remember! _Akko mentally facepalmed. Well, it was too late to stop it now. _Ugh, why is this so hard? And why does my tongue feel like lead all of a sudden? _

It didn't really help that Diana was simultaneously both the smartest and the most oblivious person alive. But, Akko continued on with her dreadful attempt.

"I don't want to be anywhere else, I mean," she said shakily. If she hadn't been sweating before, she definitely was now. "Than, uh… here. You know. By—by your side." She gave Diana a wobbly smile, "With you."

Diana blinked owlishly, processing her words. When she realized what Akko had been trying to say, her cheeks burned and she stammered, "Akko, I..."

"No, wait—" Akko reached across the gap between their horses to grasp Diana's hands. "Diana…"

Diana's teeth clicked together as she struggled to hold back her words, allowing Akko time to work through her own thoughts. She was the more patient of the two, and figured it was best to let her finish before she attempted to say anything, no matter how desperately she wanted to.

"I…" Akko continued, "You know I—uh, I… you…" she groaned, frustrated with herself, lowering her head and looking down at their clasped hands. "I'm sorry, I had this all planned out, but then I—I just…" _Had to open my stupid mouth and ruin it all. _

Akko's hands trembled in her grasp, and Diana's gaze softened. She reached up and cupped Akko's cheek in her hand, slowly pulling her face back up so she could look her firmly in the eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, Akko. I won't think any less of you," Akko's eyes met hers, and Diana gave her a small smile, "I love you, _so much, _and nothing you say could ever change that," she stroked her cheek softly with her thumb and Akko leaned into the touch, "Please, tell me what's on your mind. You don't need a plan to talk to me about something."

"I love you too, Diana." Akko's eyes glistened with unshed tears as the emotions she felt so strongly swirled inside of her like a storm. She returned her girlfriend's gaze with a watery smile, placing a hand over the one that cupped the side of her face. "And, what I'm trying to say," Akko took in a deep breath. _To hell with it, _She thought. _Screw the plan. _"I want… I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Diana. I want to spend the rest of my life with just you," she tightened her grip on Diana's hands. "I don't ever want to be anywhere else, with anyone else but you." Akko exhaled shakily, relieved to have finally admitted to Diana the extent of her feelings for her. A metaphorical weight was lifted from her shoulders, and she could breathe easily again.

"I, I want to live together with you," she continued, "I want to wake up next to you every day, I want to come home and read with you on our couch until we both fall asleep," Akko rambled on, her voice thick with emotion as she silently willed herself not to cry until she was through, "and I want to make you tea in the morning just the way you like it, and I want… I just want a life with you. All of it—the good stuff, and the bad stuff. I want it all, as long as it's with you."

She felt another hand come up to her other cheek as Diana cradled her face in her hands and gave her an equally tearful smile. They were so close that Akko could see the light dusting of freckles across Diana's nose.

Diana gently brushed her thumb under Akko's eye, catching a single tear as it fell. "Every time I think I couldn't possibly fall any more in love with you, you continue to surprise me," she shook her head, smiling. "Of course, I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else. I want a life with you as well, Akko. I feel relieved to have finally told you, and that you feel the same."

"So you..." Akko trailed off, promptly losing her train of thought as she felt Diana's breath on her lips. Nearly five years and she still felt like it was the very first time. "You'll—" she cleared her throat and squirmed awkwardly, trying again, "Will you—"

_"Yes," _Diana breathed, moving impossibly closer. Akko's eyes slid shut as she closed the gap between them, her hopes rising with the morning sun. It was a bit awkward, with how Diana had to twist slightly in her saddle, but it didn't matter—a whole life, with her most important person… Diana had been so many things to her, a rival, a friend, a best friend, a girlfriend. And now...

Akko fought herself to pull away, pressing their foreheads together, if only to voice her question in its entirety, "Will you marry me—"

Diana sighed, exasperated, but grinning nonetheless. "Yes, Akko. I will marry you."

"I don't—" Diana leaned in again, promptly cutting her off, and Akko found herself smiling into the kiss. She felt Diana shift closer to deepen it and gasped, but she soon pulled away again, with great effort. Diana huffed wondering what could be so important as to keep her from kissing her.

"I don't have a ring..." Akko trailed off, out of breath.

"I don't care," Diana shook her head against Akko's forehead, "I don't need some silly ring to know that you love me. To know that you'll always be there. No one else makes me smile like you do, and I don't need a ring for anyone to see that."

"Wow, that's… super cheesy, Diana. I didn't think you had it in you," Akko said, even as she found herself tearing up slightly, regretting her words almost as soon as she saw Diana's face.

"Well, it's no better than that ridiculous nonsense you were spouting at me earlier," Diana countered haughtily, feigning annoyance. Though, Akko could see the telltale beginnings of a playful smile teasing at her lips.

"I'm still getting you one," Akko said. "No exceptions. I won't have my wife walking around willy-nilly with no ring on her finger—absolutely not. Someone might just snatch her away, and we can't have that."

Diana's heart skipped at hearing _my wife _tumble so impetuously from Akko's lips, as if she had barely given it a thought. She struggled to collect herself as she replied, "You don't have to worry about anyone stealing me away, Akko," she tilted her head slightly, brushing their noses together, and she heard Akko's breath hitch in anticipation. "I'm yours," she whispered, "For as long as you'll have me."

"Okay," Akko exhaled shakily, her breath ghosting over Diana's lips as she did. "I… have a feeling that's going to be for a very long time," she said, smiling as she swallowed thickly and blinked away her tears, gazing at Diana through her lashes.

The sun had risen by now, and it lit up Diana's irises like starlight. They were the river that hurried to join with the great ocean, the sun sparkling over the waves that threatened to pull her under. Akko didn't care how ridiculous it sounded. Diana wanted her… wanted to spend the rest of her life with her, and that was all she could ever hope for in this life, or the next.

Diana's smile grew, like the vines she had wrapped around Akko's heart, and she said, "Me, too."


End file.
